Especially when various on-board systems are integrated with a vehicle braking system for conjointly operating the vehicle, the vehicle may be operated according to a “worst case” assumption of braking capability. The vehicle may be operated according to the assumption that only fifty percent of mechanical braking capability is available and with no dynamic brake capability. Making such assumptions may result in the vehicle being slowed earlier than necessary, which results in a loss of average speed over a full duration of a trip. Additionally, this may result in delay and loss of route capacity, considering that other vehicles also operate of the same route. Furthermore, the actual braking capability may be less than what is assumed, due to discrepancies between actual capabilities and assumed capabilities, brake system failures during a trip, environmental conditions, etc.
One approach currently utilized to assess braking capability of a vehicle is to check the brakes of the vehicle prior to departure to ensure that the brakes are operating. This approach, however, does not provide for a true determination of braking capability or effectiveness. This is because checking for braking ability does not convey any information about how much braking force would be applied in actually using the brakes during motoring, e.g., actual braking pads or shoes may not function properly, thus not being able to apply a full breaking force to wheels the vehicle, even though braking ability is present.
It may be desirable to have a vehicle control system, taking into account braking system capability, that differs from those vehicle control systems that are currently available.